Christ as man acknowledgeth himselfe to be lesse then his father Iohn 14.18 my father is greater then I But Christ if you consider him in the forme of God filled heauen and earth and so he may bee said to send himselfe as elsewhere to giue himselfe for vs. See Saint Augustine vbi sup in margin Lombard seâ—t lib. 1. dist 15. Thomas part 1. quast 43. art 8. Touching that eternal sending of the holy spirit from the father and the sonne we say that the mysteries of the sacred Trinity being ineffable the words are almost all borowed that are vsed to shew the distinct operations of the same Saint Augustine speaking of the generation of the sonne and proceeding of the holy Ghost ingeniously confessed his want of wit and wordes Inter illam generationem hanc processionem distinguere nescio non valeo non sufficio quid illis â—sta est inefabilis But here the Apostles in proper phrase of speaking sent Peter and Iohn ergo they were subiect to their authority Thirdly whereas they say that there is a twofold sending one which is amoris and another which is impery for an equall or an inferiour may perswade his friend to doe his busines for him a body politike may send their head to the Parliament and a common weale â— their Prince to the warres our answere is ready that an inferiour intreating his friend can not truely say that he sent his peere much lesse his superiour neither can a corporation that is vnder a soueraigne head such as the Church of Rome would haue Peter to be choose him to be their foot to goe for them he may peraduenture goe by his owne consent or desire but hee can not bee sent neither can a common weale thrust their absolute King into the danger of warre Sponte hoc ille faciendums indicat sed ab illis ad bellum gerendum extrudi non potest Lastly we say that Peter here was sent not as a Prince but as a peere for Iohn was ioyned with him in the mission and commission as a copartner in his office so the text they sent Peter and Iohn And Peter being sent into Samaria by his brethren repined not as holding himselfe their gouernour but went his way as their messenger and elsewhere being questioned by the Apostles for going to Cornelius and eating with vncircumcised heathens he forthwith excused himselfe and came to his answere Fourthly wheras they be driuen here to confesse that the Colledge of Apostles comprising Peter was greater then Peter their head alone Wee say this being granted that Peters Popedom was not the â—oueraigne power of Christ neither was Peter head of the Apostles as Christs Vicar for the whole Church comprising Christ the head thereof is not of greater authority then Christ himselfe Againe it is a receiued opinion among moderne Iesuited Papists that the Church is nothing else but the Pope so that the Successor of Peter is now farre greater then Peter himselfe for hee will bee tied neither to Councell nor Canon nor custome more then himselfe liketh Who when they were come downe prayed for them that they might receiue the holy Ghost It is probable that Peter and Iohn did preach as well as pray but S. Luke reporteth onely what new thing happened to Samaria by their comming namely the receiuing of the holy Ghost through imposition of hands and prayer Here S. Augustine Lombard and other obserue that Christ is God in giuing the holy spirit quantus deus est qui dat deum His Apostles did not giue the holy Ghost at Samaria they prayed for them that they might receiue the holy Ghost and they laid thir hands on them and they receiued the holy Ghost euery good gift is from aboue Samaria then had extraordinarie gifts of the spirit By Peter and Iohn not from Peter and Iohn and Simon Magus insinuates so much in his offer of money to to them at the 19. verse giue mee this power that on whomsoeuer I lay the hands hee may receiue the holy Ghost He did not say that I might giue but onely that he may receiue Happily some will obiect that Paul gaue the spirit to the Galathians as it may seeme wher hee saith he that ministreth vnto you the spirit and worketh miracles among you doth hee it through the workes of the law or by the hearing of faith preached Our answere may be gathered out of the text that hee gaue not the spirit by his proper power but onely that they receiued the spirit through his preaching and ministry They were baptized onely in the name of Christ Iesus You must here referre the word onely to baptized and not to the clause following in the name of Christ Iesus It is not the meaning of S. Luke that they were baptized in the name of God the Sonne onely for it is Christs owne Canon Matth. 28.29 That all the three persons of the blessed Trinity must expresly bee named in Baptisme Goe teach all nations baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Sonne and the holy Ghost See Bellarm. de Baptismo lib. 1. cap. 3. Suarez in Thom. 3. part tom 3. disput 21. Caluin Lorin in act 2.38 So that to bee baptized in the name of Iesus Christ in this and other like place of this booke is to be baptized in the faith of Iesus Christ or in the power of Iesus Christ or according to the prescript of Iesus Christ. Here then a question is moued how the faithfull in Samaria were baptized and yet the holy Ghost was come on none of them Hee that is baptized must acknowledge that Christ is the Lord and no man as Paul telleth vs can say that Iesus is the Lord but by the holy Ghost All that are baptized into Christ haue put on Christ and are buried with him in his death that like as Christ was raised vp from the dead by the glory of the Father so they likewise should walke in newnesse of life Answere is made that the Samaritans had already receiued inuisible graces of the sanctifying spirit which are common vnto all such as truly beleeue but as yet Samaria had not any singular and extraordinarie miraculous gifts as in Christs name to cast out diuels and to speake with new tongues and to heale the sicke c. the which in the Primatiue time was conferred vpon certaine persons according to the will of the spirit for the confirmation of the Gospell It is apparant that the Apostles had the sanctifying and illuminating spirit for their guide from the very beginning of their preaching Matth. 10.20 It is not ye that speake but the spirit of your father which speaketh in you Yet wee reade Iohn 7.38 that the holy Ghost was not yet giuen because Iesus was not yet glorified For they receiued not those miraculous gifts of healing and speaking with
the commandements of God and more then euer he commanded as the precepts of the Church and Euangelicall counsels and so do works of supererogation or is any so great a Puritan as the Pope who maketh himselfe a God in greatnesse and a God in goodnesse a God in greatnesse in that his vnlimited authoritie doth dispence with the lawes of God in this world and alter his iudgements in another hauing power terrestriall in vsurping the whole world for his Diocesse vsupernâ—d extended to heauen in canonizing Saints infernall extended to hell in freeing soules out of Purgatorie a God in goodnesse for he cannot as Pope quateâ—us Papa erre in doctrine and hee may not be told of his errors in manners his holinesse is holy si non sanctitâ—ate propria sanctus tamen sanctitate officij Whether the Pope be Iudas or Peter or Paul thereof God neuer bade vs be carefull onely this that he sitteth in Peters Chaire shall be sufficient for vs. If wee say wee haue no sinne wee deceiue our selues and truth is not in vs. Euen the iust faâ—leth often and the godly Fathers euermore complained of the corruptions in their age Tertuâ—â—â—in said O not miseros qui Christiani dicimur loc tempore gentes agimus sub nomine Christi Gregorie Nazianzâ—ne speaketh thus of the pitifull estate of his owne time Wee that are Christians are hated of the Heathen for our owne vices sake we are now become a wonder not onely to men and Angels but euen to all the wicked and vngodly More lately Gueuara The Philosophers beleeued as Paganes but liued as Christians whereas we quoth he beleeue like Christians but liue like Paganes Honoured Whitaker examining the dissolutenesse of al degrees in England cried out in exceeding great passion Aut hoc non est euangelium aut nos non sumus euangelici The reuerend Deane of Worcester as yet more fully The fatall miserie of these latter daies hath made nothing good but in shew nothing true bâ—t in opinion when for iustice betweene kingdome and kingdome the longer sword hath eaten vp the law of nations and for iustice betweene subiects vnder the same gouernment lawes are lost in the cases of the law and for the preseruer of all both truth and iustice religion it selfe is in a manner lost in the questions of religion Of all men Christians are the best of all Christians vndoubtedly the primitiue professors of all the primitiue professors Christs owne Disciple of all the Disciples his chosen Apostles and yet these men were but men subiect to manifold sinnes albeit they were Saints and their infirmities are recorded in holy Bible partly for the glorie of God and partly for our good For Gods honour that his sauing health might be knowne vpon earth and the riches of his mercie shewed in pardoning offences according to that of Dauid Against thee my God haue I sinned and done this euill in thy sight that thou mightest be iustified in thy saying In what saying I pray but in this and the like where sinne abounded there grace superabounded Againe the sinnes of the blessed Apostles are registred in the Gospels historie for our good that wee might neither presume nor yet despaire not presume for we may feare falles if these had their slips not despaire because Christ forgot and forgaue Peters blasphemie the proud ambition of the sonnes of Zebedâ—us and heere Thomas his incredulitie speaking so mildly working so mercifully with him as that his sore was made his salue his vnbeleeuing at the first occasioning greater faith in him afterward Memento peccati vt dole as Memento mortis vt desinas Memento diuinâ— iustitiae vt time as Memento miscricordiae ne desperes Hitherto concerning the sinnes of godly men in generall I come now to Thomas his faults in particular and they be principally two First his absence from the meeting of the Disciples according to the tenour of our Text Thomas one of the twelve was not with them when Iesus came Christ had often foretold his Apostles that he should be put to death and that he should rise againe the third day from the dead and therefore a little before his passion he made promise to them â—fter I am risen againe I will goe before you into Galile Now then according to this word as wee read in the former part of this Chapter euen the same day wherein hee rose againe hee came when the doores were shut into the place where the Disciples were gathâ—red together and stood in the middes and said to them peace be vnto you But Thomas either vpon supine negligence or cowardly feare being absent from their assembly lost the sight of his Sauiour Wherefore let vs I beseech you be diligent in frequenting the congregation of the faithfull especially on the Lords day for where two or three are gathered together in Christs name there Christ is in the mids of them and faith as here peace be vnto you They who gathered Manna alone lost their labour and found nothing Falleris sancte Thoma falleris si videre dominum â—peras ab apostolorum Collegio separatus non â—mat veritas angulos sed stat in mediâ— c. saith Bernard Thou art deceiued Thomas exceedingly deceiued if thou thinke to see Christ out of the Church and Colledge of Apostles He lurkes not in the dennes of the wicked but stands in the mids of the godly appearing in holy ground found in the Temple seen among the Disciples The second fault of Thomas arising from the former is incredulitie for his absence from the Disciples assembly was the cause hee saw not Christ his not seeing of Christ occasioned vnbeliefe and then his vnbeleeuing heart breakes forth into malapert words except I see in his hands the print of the nailes c. I finde that some Writers haue much excused this fact of Didymus as Cyril who thought he spake not thus out of incredulitie but out of a sudden passion as being extremely greeued for that he lost the sight of his Sauiour and almost out of hope that hee should euer see him againe because Christ had said a little while and ye shall not see me for I goe to my Father And S. Augustine saith also that these words of Thomas argue not a denying but a doubting only Vox inquirentis est non negantis dum hoc dicit docerivoluit confirmarâ— desiderauit And S. Ambrose most expresly that Thomas doubted not of Christs resurrection but of the manner of his resurrection onely Non de resurrectione Domini sed de resurrectionis qualitate videtur dubitasse This I confesse is a charitable construction of those holy Fathers extenuating rather then aggrauating the sinnes of others especially the godly But Christ himselfe being truth it selfe reprehends in our Text Thomas incredulitie be not faithlesse but faithfull and therefore
knowledge then his application the which are the two principall parts of faith As for his knowledge Thomas confessed here not only that Christ is a Lord and a God for there be many Gods and many Lords in opinion analogie title But to distinguish Christ from all these kindes of Lords and Gods he doth affirme that he is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the Lord and the God that is the Lord of Lords and God of Gods Psal. 50.1 Here then is a pregnant text against vnbeleeuing Iewes and misbeleeuing Arians If Christ had not been very God of very God euen one substance with the Father he would haue condemned and not commended this confession of Thomas If any shall aske why Thomas is not content with one word but vseth two Lord and God and why first hee calls Christ Lord and then God Answere may be that he called him Lord in that he conquered hell and death and God in that hee knew the very secrets of his heart For when Christ had said put thy finger hither and see mine hands and reach foorth thine hand and put it into my side Thomas instantly remembring what hee had fondly thought and foolishly said confesseth his fault in confessing his faith my Lord and my God The Disciples vsually termed him Lord in his life to signifie therefore that it was the same Christ hee first according to his accustomed manner calleth him Lord and then after hee proceedes further then he was wont and calleth him also God In the word Lord acknowledging his humanitie in the word God his diuinitie Faiths obiect is the reuealed will and word of God and the summe of his word is the new Testament and the summe of the new Testament is Iesus Christ God and man In that therfore Thomas confessed his Lord to be crucified dead and buried as a man and that he did againe raise himselfe and loose the bonds of death as God hee did vtter that in two words which is the contents of the two Testaments and summe of all summe of faith and holy beliefe Now for application hee saith my Lord and my God Not onely God in generall but my God in particular mine by promise mine by stipulation mine by oath mine by free gift mine by purchase mine by participation of grace my Emmanuel my Shilo my Iesus Of this particular faith Isaiah the Prophet spake wheÌ„ he said Secretum meum mihi secretum meum mihi My secret to my selfe my secret to my selfe The Papists indeed terme this personall and particular assurance presumption but the children of God in all ages haue thus applied the medicine to the maladie saying with Dauid O God thou art my God and with Mary my Sauiour For as their owne Frier notes vpon my text it is not sufficient to beleeue that he is the Lord except thou beleeue likewise that he is thy Lord as Didymus here not only once but twice my Lord my God doubling as it were his faith as he had before doubted his fall O the deepnesse of the riches of Gods mercie Who would haue thought that Thomas who beleeued least and last of all his fellowes vpon so short a conference should thus equall if not excell them all in his abrupt yet absolute confession And therefore let not any man either discomfort himselfe or condemne his brother afore the time for no man hath so weake a faith or so wicked a life but that one day Christ out of his infinite goodnesse may call him and heale him as he did S. Thomas making him who did not beleeue so soone as the rest to become notwithstanding in his beleefe so sound as the rest apprehending and applying the merits of his Sauiour to his soule my Lord my God After eight daies againe his Disciples were within and Thomas with them then came Iesus Hee came before hee was vp sought and that to seeke one lost sheepe only Teaching vs heereby to recall such as are in errours and to beare the infirmities of the weake But hee deferred his comming a whole weeke that Thomas in the meanewhile might be better instructed and induced to beleeue the resurrection Or happily for the greater manifestation of his goodnesse in tolerating such incredulitie so long Or as other to trie the faith of the rest and to shew that humane reason is not able to perswade this article The translation of Gods holy day from the Saturday to the Sunday is not by patent in the Bible but only by paterne because the blessed Apostles vsually met together on this day The which assuredly they did by the direction of Gods holy spirit and as it may seeme heere by Christs approbation at the least if not institution againe and againe manifesting himselfe to be risen on the eighth day So that albeit happily some will grant that the Church assembled in a generall Councell hath authoritie to constitute another day for the Sabbath as the second or third of the weeke yet I am sure wee can neuer haue so good a patterne nor yet so great a reason for altering this our day as was heere for the changing of that other day The patterne is Christ and his Apostles and the reason is the resurrection of Christ euen that exceeding wonderfull worke of our redemption Againe Christs appearing on the eighth day is not without a mysterie wee labour six daies in this life the seuenth is the sabbath of our death in which we rest from our labours and then being raised from the dead on the eighth day Christ in his owne body the very same body that was crucified dead and buried shall reward euery man according to his worke When the doores were shut Papists vrge this place to prooue the carnall and grosse presence of Christ in the Sacrament extremely condemning our incredulitie who will not beleeue that Christs body and blood is vnder the formes of bread and wine seeing his whole body heere perfect in all his lineaments length bredth and thicknes distinct and diuers from the substance and corpulence of the wood was in the same proper place the wood was in and passed thorow the same To this obiection our Diuines answer diuersly some that the doore opened of it selfe to let him in other that the doore was vnbarred by some of the house within vnknowne to the Disciples other that to come in the doores being shut is no more but that hee came in late in the euening at what time men vse to shut their doores but most acknowledge that he came in miraculously not thorow the wood and iron of the doores as the Papists absurdly conceiue but through his omnipotent and al-commanding power the dooâ—es were opened to him aâ— they were to Peter Acts 12 9. and to some other Apostles Acts 5.19 Creatur acessit Creators Hieron epist. ad Pammac tom 1. fol. 178. Or
custodie seeing I am now to leaue this life receiue my spirit Heere then against the Sadduces in Christs age and Atheists in our time we may note the soules immortalitie for God is not the God of the dead but of the liuing Again that al soules departed are in certaine receptacles vntill the generall iudgement they do not obambulate and wander vp and downe but remaine in places and states of happinesse or vnhappinesse either in the hands of God or in the Deuils prison and therefore all the daies of our life but especially at the houre of our death it behooueth vs to say and pray with S. Steuen O Lord Iesu receiue my spirit My. Charitie begins with it selfe malice with another in our idle busie time men are very sollicitous lest God lay this or that sinne to their enemies charge but wee may tell them as Christ did other in another cause Wâ—epe not for me but for your selues If your deuotion be so great and your praiers so good pray first for your selues for you peraduenture haue more need and then wish well and do well vnto your enemies as Steuen here first Lord Iesus receiue my spirit and then Lord Iesus forgiue their sinne Spirit Most men are all for the bodie nothing for their soule but S. Stephen is all as it should seeme for the soule and nothing for the bodie For what is a man profited if he should gaine the whole world and lose his owne soule saith our blessed Sauiour by which Apophthegme it doth appeare that euery soule in it selfe is of greater price then a whole world but thy soule vnto thy selfe ought to be of greater account then a million of worlds if as Empedoiles and Demâ—critus imagined there were so many saue this and saue all lose â—his and lose all and therefore let thy whole life be nothing else but a meditation of death and that thou maist die well as Steuen endeuour to liue well as Steuen Howsoeuer it goe with thy goods or good name be sure to looke well vnto thy soule that whether thou die for the Lord or in the Lord thou maist cheerfully deliuer it vp vnto the Lord as Steuen here Lord Iesu receiue my spirit Vnto faith in God he doth adioine loue to men without which all his praying and kneeling and crying yea dying had been but as a sounding braise and a tinckling Cimball Of loue there be two principall offices one to giue another to forgiue S. Steuen is an excellent patterne of both of the latter especially praying for his hatefull enemies euen at that houre when hee could scarce gaine time to thinke on his friends It is said 1. Peter 2.21 That Christ suffered for vs leauing vs an example Now Christ on the Crosse praied for his persecuâ—ors earnestly Father forgiue them for they know not what they doe Pendebat samen patebat a Augustine sweetly S. Steuen followed his masters example Lord lay not this sinne to their charge The which praier is clothed with two circumstances hee kneeled downe shewing his reuerence to God and cried with a loud voice manifesting his vnfained affection toward them Vnto the top of which exceeding great charitie there are three degrees 1. He praied for enemies 2. For mortall enemies who stoned him 3. In hot bloud at that time when they did wrong him most as being more sory for their riot then for his owne ruine For eternall death is the wages of such a sinne but euerlasting life the Crowne of such a suffering Hee kneeled downe God is the Lord of the body so well as of the soule and therefore challengeth as well reuerent gesture as inward deuotion in praying then either stand as a seruant before thy Master or kneele as a subiect to thy Prince Daniel prayed kneeling Peter prayed kneeling Paul prayed kneeling Christ himselfe kneeling and the Magdeburgenses acknowledge this gesture to be most ancient and most vsuall among the children of God in all ages and therefore not to kneele in the congregation argueth either ignorance or arrogancei For seeing all of vs are Gods adopted sons and not borne to the good we possesse it behoueth vs when we come before our Father especially to craue his blessing to be dutifull and humble in our cariage Concerning kneeling at the Lords Supper if the Church haue power and authority to change the time commanding vs to receiue the Communion in the morning whereas Christ administred it in the night to change the place for whereas Christ ordained his Supper in a priuate house wee communicate in a Temple to change the number and qualities of the persons deliuering the Sacrament vnto more then twelue and to women as well as men I see no reason but it hath authoritie likewise to change the gesture The time was altered because for this sacrifice the morning is the most fit time the place was altered because the Church is the most fit place The gesture was altered also being a matter not of the Sacraments essence but of outward order onely because kneeling is the most fit gesture for Protestants especially who deny the grosse reall presence and hold the Lord Supper an Eucharist or thanksgiuing vnto God for the redemption of the world by the death of his Sonne giuing of thankes is a part of prayer and in prayer no gesture so fit as kneeling Deuout Asella did vse geniculation in prayer so much as that her knee were made brawnie like the knees of a Camel See Step durant de ritibus Eccles. lib. 3. cap. 24. It is very remarkeable that Steuen here stood when he prayed for himselfe but kneeled when he prayed for his enemies hereby shewing the greatnesse of their impiety which easily could not be forgiuen as also the greatnesse of his piety Qui plus illorum dolebat peceasa quam sua vulnera For this end hee cryed also with a loud voice magnus clamor magnus amor Or as Caietan he cryed with a loud voice for others instruction and example that we might be followers of him as hee was a follower of Christ. Lay not this sin to their charge The Scribes in their glosses on the Law said expresly thou shalt loue thy neighbour and hate thine enemie Some Papists also thinke that the words of our Sauiour resist not euill and loue your enemies are not absolute precepts but onely counsels according to this doctrine the Castilians as I haue read since the battell of Alijabarto would not suffer any to preach vpon the friday in the first weeke of Lent because the Church on that day sings inimicos diligite loue your enemies And Iustinian being restored againe to his Empire shewed extreame crueltie toward his aduersaries and their allies for as often as he moued his hand to wipe the filth from his nose which was cut off hee commanded one of his enemies to bee put
after child-birth according to the doctrine and discipline of the Church of England performed not out of custome but out of conscience not to make the act of honourable mariage vncleane but to blesse God for deliuerance from so manifold perils is not a Iewish ceremonie but a Christian dutie the which I thinke distasteth onely such as haue either an ouer flowing of their gall or an outâ—weening of their wit The Law saith in the 12. of Leuiticus If a woman by the seed of man shall conceiue and beare a child she shall be reputed vncleane A susâ—â—pto semine pâ—perereâ— c. but the power of the most high ouer shadowed Mary Christ was conceiued in her wombe not by the polluted seed of man but by the vertue of the holy Ghost and so by consequence not tied vnto the law for as the lawyers say where the reason of a statute doth cease there the statute hath his end But the reason of the law concerning purification had no place in Mary being a pure Virgine both in her conception and in her childbirth also See S Ambros epist. 81. Auguâ—â—inâ— contra Iulian. lib. 1. cap. 2. de cum lib. 22. cap. 8. Thomas part â— quaesâ— 28. â—rt 2. Erasmus 〈…〉 de surâ—â—m Euchariâ—â— 1. b. â— cap. 6. That Christ might appeare to be man hee was bâ—â—â—â— of a woman and yet that he might appeare to be God he was borne of a Virgin 〈…〉 See Creed born of the Virgin and Epist. allotted for the Annunciation Mary then obserued the 〈◊〉 of purification as Bernard excellent â— not for her selfe but for our example Christ was circumcised for vs and Mary purified for vs he needed no Circumcision who was the end of Circumcision and she needed no purification as hauing conceiued by the holy Ghost yet hee did vndergoe the one and shee performe the other Hereby teaching vs to submit our selues vnto the present gouernment of the Church vnder which we liue teaching vs I say so farre to seeke the peace of Ierusalem as that wee should bee content to depart euen from our owne priuate right rather then in any sort scandalously preiudice the common good of the Church enduring rather a mischiefe in our selues then an inconuenience in the state Mary knowing obedience to bee better than sacrifice performed the rites of purifying albeit shee was not bound to the same But schismatikes in our daies enioyned to keepe the ceremonies of the Church euen by that law which saith expresly Let euery soule be subsed vnto superiour authority hold dissolutenesse a resolutenesse and breaking of ecclesiasticall orders a point of deuotion and piety shedding as it is said of Ioab the blood of warre in peace But if their zeale were such vnto the Gospell as Maries was to the Law they would rather wring themselues in the particular then wrong the Church in the generall I read in Plinâ— how two Goates meeting on a narrow bridge non vim sed viam fecere they did not make a way each other but make way one for the other as Mutianus an eye witnesse tels the tale the one lying downe on his bellie suffered the other to passe ouer his backe and so both escaped the danger of the ditch In the time of the Goâ—â—â— waâ—s I find also that a Romane souldior and a Barbarian casually falling into the same pit as they marched along the countrie were so farre from contending one with another as that they both agreed mutually to relieue each other and so necessity making them friends as Procopius reportes they were drawne out of that hell and safely deliuered againe to their Captaines and Companies I would to God the separatist â—â— case had so much good wit as the Goat or elseâ— much good will as the Goâ—h They brought him to Ierusalem to present him vnto the Lord as it is written in the Law of the Lord euery man-child that first openeth the matrix shall be called holy is the Lord Almighty God in deliuering his Israel out of Egypts bondage sinate all the first borne in the land of Egypt from the first borne of Pharaoh that sat on his throne vnto the first borne of the captiue that was in prison And therefore that his people might alway remember this benefit hee commanded in his law that they should consecrate all their first borne to him Exod. 13.2 For this reason is rendred by God himselfe Numb 8.17 All the first borne of the children of Israel are mine both of man and of beasts since the day I smote euery and horne in the land of Egypt I sanctified them for myselfe Now Christ is the 〈◊〉 borne in many respects first in his Diuinity being Gods onely begotten sonne Secondly in his humanity being Maries first borne sonne for she bare none before him or after him Thirdly the first borne in grace for he was the first man borne which being offered vnto God was accepted of himselfe Fourthly in power being the first borne of the dead Fifthly the first borne for that all of vs are new borne through him And therefore though he were not tied vnto the rites of the law yet he suffered himselfe to be presented in the Temple for these reasons especially First to shew that the same God is author both of the Gospell and of the Law Secondly in that the Law giuer himselfe obeyed the law he reacheth all Princes to giue good example in obseruing their owne statutes For an Emperour faith Euagrius is not to be counted thereafter as he gouerneth other but as he ruleth and guideth himselfe making his life a light for his subiects to follow For this cause the chiefe Magistrates among the Romans had burning lamps carried before them Publica minurum rectum ibi conâ—tâ—t aquum Imperium cumrex quod suber ipse facit Thirdly he submitted himselfe vnto the law that hee might redeeme those that were vnder the law God became man that men hereby might bee made Gods He who was free became seruant vnto all to make all free Fourthly because the first borne presented in the Temple was a figure of Christ the first borne among many brethren Rom. 8.29 Fifthly that hee might auoid occasion of scandall among the Iewes and exhibite a patterne of meeknesse vnto all Sixthly that being presented in the publike Temple many good people might beare witnesse to him as here you see Simeon and Anna did Seuenthly that the world might be put in possession and sesin of the Sauior He was offered twice first in the Temple which is called his morning sacrifice then on the Crosse which is termed his euening sacrifice In the one he was redeemed in the other he did redeeme giuing himselfe for vs an offering and a sacrifice of a sweet smelling sauour to God Ephes. 5.2 By this precept of Moses and practise of Mary parents ought to learne that
Vt distinctio perspicuitatem afferret breuit as taedium eximeret varietas voluptate afficeret They be parted indeed yet so neerely linked together that the first words of our text are nothing else but a transition or as it were a bridge between both In this context or preamble three persons are to be considered especially By whom the former treatise was written To whom the former treatise was written Of whom the former treatise was written The party writing the Gospell of all that Iesus did and taught was Luke by birth as Eusebius and Hierome report of Antiochia by profession as Paul writes Coloss. 4.14 a Physitian Luke the beloued Physitian greets you by calling as some thinke one of those seuentie Disciples our blessed Sauiour appointed Luk. 10.1 the which is gathered by Gregorie the great and other out of the 24. chapter of S. Luke vers 13. but Irenaeus Tertullian and the most ancient Doctors affirme that he was not Christs immediate Disciple but onely sectator Discipulus Apostolorum a follower and a Disciple of his Apostles And this Saint Luke testifieth of himselfe in the first chapter of his Gospell at the second verse sicut tradiderunt nobis c. as they haue deliuered them vnto vs which from the beginning saw them themselues Insinuating that hee wrote his Gospell according to that which he heard of other but this tract of the acts of the Apostles according to that which he had seene himselfe This man is made by Gods appointment an Euangelist before Peter and Iames who were counted to bee pillars of the Church and seemed to be great nay ten Apostles being passed by this poore Physitian a companion of persecuted Paul and at the best but a Disciple was preferred to set downe the Gospels history for so he saith I haue made the former treatise of all that Iesus began to doe and teach Here then obserue that God is tyed to no man he calleth whomsoeuer he will vnto whatsoeuer office pleaseth him hee made seely fishermen fishers of men and of Paul who was sometime a rauenous wolfe first a milde sheep and then a diligent shepheard of Amos an heardman a Prophet of Peter a water man a chiefe Apostle of Luke the physiâ—ian a great Euangelist And therefore let vs not ascribe to much vnto secondarie causes but rather attribute all to God who doth often greatest acts by weakest agents And let vs bee so much the more ready to beleeue this because Luke wrote this I haue made c. He was not principall author but instrumentall actor in composing this Treatise for the Gospell is Gods-pel or the ghosts-spell euen the word of the spirit as Saint Peter teacheth vs holy men of God in olde time spake not according to the will of men but as they were moued by the holy Ghost ipse haec scripsit quihaec scribenda dictauit The party to whom our Euangelist inscribed his Gospell is Theophilus and here the Doctors doubt whether this name be common or proper Cardinall Baronius hath vndergone some paines in discussing this point but like himselfe leaues it as he found it vncertaine If we take it for a common appellatiue then vnderstand that the Gospell is written vnto such as are Theopbils that is louers of God The word is a peerelesse pearle and may not be cast vnto swine who despise it but opened vnto the louers of God which are ready to sell all that they haue to buy it euery true Christian is a Theophilus and euery Theophilus hath a Gospell dedicated to him as Saint Ambrose sweetly Si Deum diligis ad te scriptum est si adte scriptum est suscipe munus Euangelistae pignus amici in penetralibus animi diligenter asserna Seing this inestimable Iewell is sent vnto thee keepe that which is committed to thy care lay it vp in the treasure house of your heart where neither the moath and canker corrupt and where theeues neither digge thorough nor steale Consumit tinea si quod bene legeris male credas Arrius is a moath and Photinus a moath euery hereticke is a moath as it were fretting the garment of our blessed Sauiour But two reasons induce me to thinke that Theophilus is a proper name 1. Saint Luke saith It seemed good to me to write vnto thee from point to point that thou mightest acknowledge the certainty of those things where of thou halt been instructed By which he doth insinuate that he wrote to some one particular person whom hee had heretofore catechized by word of mouth 2. The title giuen vnto Theophilus Luke 1.3 maketh Interpretors conceiue that hee was a certaine man of eminent quality some therefore say that hee was a Bishop of Antiochia but other that he was some chiefe gouernor in his common wealth because the word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 vsed by Saint Luke which we traslate most excellent or most noble is the same which is ascribed elsewhere to men of great command So Paul to Festus Acts 26.25 I am not mad O noble Festus 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 So Tertullus an Orator and a great master of words vnto Felix Acts â—43 We acknowledge it wholy and in all places 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 most noble Felix with â—all thankes So Claudius in his subscription to the same Felix Acts 23.26 Claudius Lysias 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 to the most noble gouernour Felix greeting and the title optimus of all other was most acceptable to Traian the great Emperor as Xiphilinus out of Dio reports in his life Hence then obserue 1. That rich men and great men are not excluded from Gods kingdome S. Paul saith in deed not many mightie not many noble are called yet some mightie some noble as the noble Ioseph of Arimathea the noble Chamberlain and Treasurour of Candaces Queene of Ethiopia the noble men of Berea and here noble Theophilus of Antiochia 2. Note by this example that Christians ought to speake and write courteously giuing titles of due respect vnto men of worth and worship feare to whom feare honour to whom honour belongeth Rom. 13.7 3. Learne from hence that godly men ought to bee religiously politicke so wise saith our Sauiour as serpents in enlarging Gods kingdome It is likely Saint Lâ—ke dedicated this present and that former history to noble Theophilus not so much out of any priuate consideration as for the publike good of the whole Church for if a great man in authority receiue the word other instantly wil embrace the same This vndoubtedly was our Euangelists policie and till it be our practise the walles of Iericho will neuer bee thoroughly pulled downe for so long as the Chaplaines are of the closer flattering and fostering Nobles in their sin no maruaile if the whole world lieth in wickednes Citharaedo principe minus est nobilis